Little is known about Tibet's early history though from Chinese records we understand that the Tibetan race originated from nomadic tribes of the Qiang, which was one of China's early fiefdoms.

Legend is definitely more enticing and it was believed in about BC500 a magical descent from the heavens by a man known as Nyatri Tsampo happened. This was in the Yarlung Valley which is just south of Lhasa and here Tsampo established his rule over what was most likely a very small area. It's understood that Tsampo could well have been of Indian origin and who had crossed the Himalayas. At this time Tibet was under the 'Bon' religion which was an animistic cult governed by exorcists, shamans and priests.

The dynasty became known as that of the Yarlung and it's really only from the 4th century that we have any form of records although the belief that Buddhism which first appeared at this time fell from the clouds on the roof of the Palace may not be the most precise of records and again it's believed that it came from India, where Buddhism was already well established. We do however have records of Buddhism being introduced at this time though know that it was only of limited interest to the populace.

By the early 7th century we have reliable knowledge that the Yarlung Dynasty's 32nd King was expanding his borders and Tibet's influence which led to both China and Nepal taking note of this new emerging power. It was Songsten Gampo, the 33rd King, who continued the dynasty's expansion of its influence as well as moving the capital to Lhasa. As a means of building bridges both China and Nepal offered him brides and this was really the first formal introduction of the Buddhist religion into Tibet. Songsten Gampo started building temples to hold the Buddhist relics brought by his wives (including the sacred Jokhang) and Buddhism thus became Tibet's official religion, with the King even declaring to be a non-Buddhist was illegal. Tibet's growing relations with China allowed for the introduction of greater knowledge of medicine and astronomy whilst its relations with its southern neighbour, India, introduced a Tibetan script, used for the first written translations of Tibetan scriptures.

Although the Yarlung Dynasty continued its ascendancy with the accession of territorial parts of India, Nepal, modern Pakistan and China, Buddhism waned and it was only in the mid 8th century with the founding of Samye Monastery and visits by many Indian scholars that it made a half-hearted resurgence though one that didn't last long with the practitioners of the Bon religion retaining the religious upper hand. What had become a unified Tibet quickly fell apart in the 9th century and by 852 Tibet had regained its fiefdoms.

The next great Order in Tibet was the Sakya Sect from the south of the country and the revival of Buddhist teaching emanating from here is often known as the Second Diffusion of Buddhism (late 11th Century). During this period religion took control of the country and contact with its neighbours pretty much disappeared. The monasteries were fairly autonomous though notable of this period was the peace that Tibet enjoyed.


Tibet wasn't, however, to be immune from the rapidly rising power of the Mongols who as well as extending their influence throughout most of western Asia and into Europe had also established the Yuan Dynasty in China. By 1239 Genghis Khan's offspring had sent raiding parties into Tibet and so started a relationship between the two nations which saw Mongolia take political control whilst Buddhism would be introduced as the state religion and which would be overseen by the head of Sakya Monastery. Many Tibetan Monasteries didn't like this power-sharing accord and with the impending demise of The Mongol's Yuan Dynasty under the Tibetan nationalist leadership of Jangchub Gyeltsen  it only took a short while for the Sakya leadership to be overthrown and thus usher in a period of independence for Tibet, which lasted for over 300 years.

Tibet's next major influence was Tsongkhapa who came originally from eastern Tibet and who from 1374 spent many years travelling between the famed monastic schools of the time learning from the great Lama's. He didn't get involved in politics and instead espoused a purer religious approach which emphasised monastic discipline. He established Ganden Monastery and after his death his disciples continued his teachings which became a distinct new school of Buddhism, originally called the Ganden Order and later known as the Gelugpa (The Virtuous Order) or sometimes the Yellow Hat School. New Gelugpa Monasteries were set up at Drepung, Sera and at Tashilhumpo and which became significantly influential in the areas they served. The Mongols who by now had retreated back to Mongolia took interest in the Gelugpa Order and in a meeting between their leaders the Gelugpa Leader was bestowed with the title, Dalai (Ocean of Wisdom) Lama. The ruling King worried about the growing bonds between the country's now established religion and the Mongols which led to a failed attempt to overthrow the Gelugpa Order who were assisted by a Mongol invasion to secure their religious supremacy.

With the support of his Mongol backers the newly empowered 5th Dalai Lama (often known as the 'Great Fifth') set out to unite the country under Gelugpa rule and by 1656 became Tibet's religious and political sovereign. Lhasa became the capital and the Potala was built as the residence of the Tibetan head of state. Reincarnation was established as the means of appointing the new Dalai Lama though immediately problems surfaced as with the death of the 5th Dalai Lama a caretaker Regent assumed control. With the collapse of the Ming Dynasty in China and the newly installed Qing Dynasty fearing Mongolian involvement in Tibet the lack of strong Tibetan leaders led to what would become a major obstacle in Tibet's ambitions for independence and an ongoing vacuum of power in Lhasa.

The Qing Leaders declared Tibet as a Protectorate in 1751 and for many years Tibet had nothing but ineffectual leadership with many of the 6th to 12th Dalai Lama's deaths being in questionable circumstances and generally at very young ages. The 13th Dalai Lama's rule was a refreshing break for Tibet as he was deemed to be a perceptive ruler that realized agreement and perhaps compromise was needed with its two powerful neighbours, China and British controlled India. Relations with both were tense and after a Chinese invasion in 1910 it was eventually agreed in three-party talks, as a result of supposedly very complex negotiations, that Tibet was an autonomous state under the suzerainty of China. Complicating matters further was the fall of the Qing Dynasty a year later in 1911 and the establishment of the Republic of China.

The 13th Dalai Lama had been forced to flee Tibet on two occasions and whilst overseas had realized that Tibet had no option but to modernise though the back-lash from the monasteries who were familiar with large degrees of autonomy stifled the Dalai Lama's attempts to bring Tibet into the 20th century, though some might argue the country hadn't even adapted to the 19th century. His new ideas and policies aimed at improving Tibetan's life fell into limbo and led to enormous dissent among the country's religious leaders. Hid death in 1933 saw very few reforms having been instigated and it wasn't for 7 years that the 4 ½ year old 14th (and current) Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was installed.

Only a year after Mao's 1949 Communist takeover of China, Red Army troops flooded into Tibet meeting no resistance from the poorly trained Tibetan army and thus bringing the country's short lived autonomy to an end. Tenzin Gyatso was formally enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama at the same time Chinese troops marched into Tibet. By 1959 it was clear that China wanted rid of the Dalai Lama and aware of an impending kidnap he fled to India on 17th March, where he set up Tibet's Government in Exile.

Sadly, terrible bloodshed accompanied China's 'liberation' of Tibet and not only did human tragedy befall Tibet but also its monasteries were destroyed and its monastic traditions brought to a horrific end. The violence and desecration of Tibet's monasteries can't, however, only be attributed to the take-over of Tibet as the absolute horrors of the so-called 'Cultural Revolution' played a significant role in the destruction of so much of Tibet's traditional ways of life, the sacking and desecration of its monasteries and the eradication of so much of its cultural heritage.

It wasn't until the death of Mao in 1976 and Deng Xiao Ping assuming China's leadership did a limited return of religious freedom take place along with, from 1982, foreigners being allowed to visit Tibet. Although there have been some terrible individual incidents since the early 1980's and knowing that monastic and religious life in Tibet will never be the same again, it would, however, be extremely hard to argue that the material living standards of ordinary Tibetans have not improved in the past 20 years.